“Today I stand before you as a new man. I’m excited again about representing the people of the 10th district, and I intend to work hard, and work hand-in-hand with those who voted against me and those who worked against me, because that is the best thing to do for the individual constituents of the district,” Smith said.

Meantime, [Smith attorney Victor Henderson] framed Smith as a trailblazer in Springfield, and an independent voice standing up to all the legislators who have worked against him.

“There were a lot of ministers who didn’t want Martin Luther King up here in the ’60s because he said he was causing problems. Look what good he did. People wanted Nelson Mandela to be quiet. People wanted Jesus to be quiet,” Henderson said.

The real question is will his caucus “let bygones be bygones”. My guess is a resounding NO.

Smith is dead in the water but at this point I am not sure what can be done about it. The real losers in this are his constituents but then again they voted him back into office. I guess you get what you deserve.

Now we wait for the criminal justice system to deal with him. Of course, if he can’t keep his hand out of the cookie jar, then perhaps he will do it again and give a new reason to be removed. Is kleptomania addictive?

Hmmmm. If the Democratic Party leadership dropped well over a half million dollars into this race and carpet bombed it with mailings, it could have muted criticism. But it was more important to rid Illinois of the likes of Sid Mathias and Skip Saviano and keep this ethically challenged fellow?

“Meantime, [Smith attorney Victor Henderson] framed Smith as a trailblazer in Springfield, and an independent voice standing up to all the legislators who have worked against him.”
What was his independent voice? “Just keep it in the envelope?”

Jesus was persecuted for doing the right thing and speaking out against corruption. Martin Luther King and Nelson Mendela spoke out against human rights violations. Hmmm, what about Smith. He is being persecuted for “allegedly” taking a bribe. Well that would be corruption, and if he is guilty, he should be persecuted. He is the one who supposedly violated the law. No human rights violations there. By making these comparisons, his lawyer makes him look even smaller, and more foolish. There is no comparison.